I moved to Falmouth for university, then lifeguarded at the beaches at Holywell, a village further north, during my study years and for a few years after. When I started lifeguarding, I started surfing.
Nothing compares to the feeling you get from being in the water. Sometimes it’s meditative. Other times it’s stormy and you’re beaten up a little bit, but it makes you feel so alive. My first sports were skating, BMX-ing and snowboarding; I ended up stunt-doubling on TV adverts before I was asked to join a modelling agency. Surfing is the sport I’ve kept up with the longest. I don’t see myself ever stopping.
Holly Bendall on Sennen Beach near Penzance © Maisie Marshall
I love to get in the water first thing – usually in Sennen Cove, a village near Penzance, a few miles from where I live. The colour of the water is beautiful. You can hire boards from Sennen Surfing Centre where they also offer lessons – ask for Dave. Farm + Fort café is a 15-minute drive away, and you can walk to the beaches from there. It’s an inspiring place, and there are now more young, creative people here. Toner is a recently opened photography gallery that hosts zine workshops, and Seven Stones stocks streetwear brands nearby.
